Customer Reviews

My Friend the Painter

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While this is marketed as a book for children, it is a brilliant study in friendship, suicide and art - a book that easily enjoyed by adults as well. The premise is that an eleven year old boy finds his adult friend dead - he hears/has heard from his friends tales of political imprisonment, of a refound first love, and of art. Out of this he tries to sort out the "why" of his "Friend the Artist's" death.

This exploration is carried out with brillant images - images of the emotional content of colors, dream images of three people sharing a continuous costume, and the boy's litany of "why's". This exploration has no missteps - it is an excellent piece of writing.

I thought the book was wonderful. It dealt with suicide in a way that allowed children to read and understand it. It was also interesting to read for a person of my age, and I am a high school senior. I still love the book. I've had it since I was 8 years old. I love it and would recomend it to anyone.